Jack Is 10!!!

Oh my goodness....double digits! 

Jackson is 10 years old today! 

This time 10 years ago I was not feeling well at all. In fact I felt like I couldn't breathe. For some reason I could not catch my breath and that's what led me to go to the doctor that day. I was sure I wasn't getting enough oxygen...which makes me wonder why I drove myself to the hospital in the first place. Anyway...Michael met me there and they checked my oxygen and it was fine. I was given the green light to eat lunch while they monitored me and lo and behold one giant 5 minute long contraction later and things got real interesting. Poor Jackson did not agree with being squeezed by my uterus every few minutes or so. After a few tests the doctor official gave Jackson his eviction notice and he was born later that night.  

This last year the biggest change for Jackson has been in his look. The shape of his face has completely changed since getting braces on last June. 

He has done amazingly well with his braces...in fact he never complains that they hurt at all. He's got this amazing pain tolerance or no pain receptors at all. 

His front teeth were overlapping and after 4 days of having braces on they were like this. Not one. single. complaint!!! 

I think it's funny how his swim shirt makes him looks like he's got some major muscles. He loves his swim shirts! 

He was definitely in that awkward smile stage, but that might have just had to do with having braces as well. 

Jack is always wanting us to watch him do something. Some jump, some spin...some move. The hilarious thing is the first time he does it he always ends of missing something or something goes wrong and he has to try again. 

Red is his favorite color....blue is a close second though. 

Out of all the kids Jackson is my least snugly kid. He doesn't really ever want to snuggle or sit with me. He is great at talking with me though. I love when I just get to go somewhere in the van with only him. We always have fun talks. 

Jackson is a great buddy to Zeke...even if he forgets to make Zeke's sandwich every now and then. :) 

Jackson loves hanging from any kind of play structure. He is all about American Ninja Warrior. 

Jack loves to play corn hole. He's always wanting Papa Martin to be on his team. 

His shirt says it all! 

Jack is my eater!!! I'm pretty convinced that Jackson does not actually chew his food. He must seriously bite it off and just swallow. He eats so fast! He is always the first to finish and then he just wants to leave the table. I usually have to remind him to sit down because the rest of us aren't finished eating yet. 

Jackson is very particular about his clothes. He doesn't like any other kind of pants, but jeans. He very rarely wears a coat with a hood...he likes hats instead. He also enjoys wearing button down shirts more than the other kids. This jacket was given to him by the neighbor boys that moved away and it's his favorite even though it has holes in the armpits he doesn't care. 

Jackson has been my kids that gets interested in fads. He always likes something his friends do...first it was Yugioh, then it was Pokemon and now it's Beyblades. 

Jackson was the only kid brave enough to ride on the ATV on our trip out to Wyoming last summer. I was so proud of him for being brave. 

Aunt Linda hooked him up with a faux hawk...he's such a handsome dude! 

Again Jackson is very particular about what he likes. Dr. Pepper is his jam so of course he got a Dr. Pepper float. 

Hanging out in Yellowstone! 

Taking a ride in the Razor! 

At the Rodeo! 

Jackson actually took part in chasing the calf around the arena trying to get the ribbon. I was so proud of him and he ran his little heart out. Uncle Lee was the one that actually took him down there and when he got back he said that none of his grand-kids had ever wanted to do that. I love that he got to see Jack running around. He seemed to get a kick out of it. 

9 years old and not to old to ride a pony at the park! 

Jack hasn't really mentioned the eclipse so I wonder if he'll remember it when he's older. 

I was so happy that Jack got Ms. East as his teacher. I don't know if it's because Owen's already gone through the grade so I know basically what's going to happen, but for some reason I just don't worry about Jack. I know he's going to do great. He's so easy going and he works hard. 

He can't wait until he fits into this shirt! 

Such a cutie! 

Decked out in his favorite....red and blue! 

Jackson is still the messiest kid. Just the other day he was eating powdered sugar toast for breakfast and he managed to get powder sugar everywhere! 

For being such a brave boy he does not feel very comfortable in the water. He's very cautious, but he does enjoy being in the pool. 

Sweet boy took me out as a special treat for Mother's Day! 

Expecto Patronum! 

He worked his "magic" and got quite a lot of candy! :) 

Jack's favorite animals are from the feline family....tigers, lions and panthers. 

Going through all the pictures for the last year it became very noticeable to me how infrequent there are pictures of Jack. He has always had this talent for hiding himself. When he was younger at one of his school performances he somehow was able to hide himself while being in the front row. The only part of him we could see were his red shoes. The other reason is even if there are pictures of him they are blurry...like the picture above...the kid never stops moving! 

Jackson likes the idea of Legos, but what that really means is he wants Mommy to build them. I'm not complaining though! 

Happy New Year! 

Sometimes I feel like Jack gets the short end of the stick. He's got a lot to compete with. Owen's the oldest and the first born boy. Ella is the only girl. Zeke is the baby. Jackson is really our "middle" child even though we have an even number of kiddos. Because of that I try to make him feel special by doing little things like buying him this Seahawks football even thought that is normally something I would never do. Plus the fact that it was 50% off at Sam's Club helped too! :) 

This sweater was one of the sweaters we bought for Michael at Value Village. This is after I washed it!!! I swear I followed the directions, but as you can see it really shrunk. Jackson didn't mind though. 

Wendy's sweet and sour is no good according to Jackson! 

Look at those rosy cheeks!!! 

Being a goof! 

Jackson is the only one of the boys that likes to have his hair longer. I don't mind it as long as he combs it over. I do not like him with full on bangs. He is quite lucky that he did not get his Daddy's hair. Michael's hair is so course. Jackson has the silkiest hair...I love to run my hands through it! 

 I finally got so tired of the long hair I did trim it. I left the top longer and I thought it looked nice. Jackson was a bit upset at me, but thankfully hair grows! 

Jackson is the best at drawing. I'm just so impressed with his skills. I love how he's perfected his fox. Plus I love that he thought this shirt fit him even though it was a 5T. 

Oh my Jackson....I have loved seeing you become more and more independent this last year. You still do get frustrated sometimes when you don't know what I'm talking about, but you've gotten better at figuring things out. We are still working on common sense type stuff. Mommy was a bit shocked when you spit out the salt water you were gargling all over my stove. You looked right at me and said..."You didn't tell me I had to spit it in the sink!" Followed by me saying...."I didn't think I had too!" You crack me up boy!!! 

Jackson you are super competitive and when I say competitive I mean COMPETITIVE!!! Especially with Owen...you love to one up him. Even if it's something that is not a competition. I think that this will just be a thing between the two of you. I imagine it's pretty natural since you are less than 2 years apart. Owen will always be older than you and I think that just gets to you. If you ever get taller than him or heavier that him (you actually might be heavier than him now)...you will be so overjoyed to beat him at something. 

  You are the best at making friends. You can get along with almost anyone. You have lots of friends both boy and girl friends. Hansi, Caleb and Andrew are your best friends. Even if you don't get to see them all that often you just pick right up where you left off. You could play with your friends for hours!!! You are really looking forward to getting to see Hansi & Andrew more this summer!  

Jackson mommy loves you so much my surprise boy! You have been such a wonderful addition to our family since the first time I saw those double lines. You are the extra special gift that God knew we needed. You are amazingly talented and you have such a good heart. I'm so excited to see what this next year brings....maybe no braces!!! 

Happy Birthday my sweet boy!!!